Unibio, a biotech company with advanced technology producing single-cell protein from natural gas, has opened the world’s first commercial U-Loop fermentation production facility with a capacity to produce up to 80 tons of UniProtein, its proprietary single-cell protein, per year. The plant will officially open in Kalundborg, Denmark, on November 21.
The new plant marks the start of commercial production for the group and is the first step in a planned global roll out of Unibio’s U-Loop technology.
All output from the plant has been sold to Vestjyllands Andel, a Danish animal feed manufacturer, as part of an offtake agreement signed this year. In addition, Unibio signed its first license agreement with an Eastern European-based client this year, with the target to supply UniProtein to the European and Russian markets. As a result of this agreement, a second full-size commercial plant is planned and expected to be completed and producing UniProtein by the second half of 2017.
“With the recent completion of the final upgrades to our technology and the completion of the plant, we are ready to commence the commercial roll-out and deliver on our agreement with Vestjyllands Andel,” said Henrik Busch-Larsen, CEO of Unibio. “We have been encouraged by the increasing number of inquiries to license our technology and look forward to continue to work towards the global roll out of our technology. “
UniProtein technology
Unibio’s patented technology is part of a sustainable solution to meet the continued demand for protein. Approved by the EU, UniProtein is a feed component with high protein content. It is developed naturally, is non-polluting and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by up to 52 percent compared to natural gas being flared to produce electricity. An additional benefit of Unibio’s technology is that the only by-product is clean water. It provides farmers and feed manufacturers with a unique offering: the ability to produce feed and manage their costs without a negative impact on the environment.
The journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering conducted research and published results confirming that Unibio’s high mass-transfer leads to significant improvements in yields from the fermentation process.
